Dental floss and holder therefor



Feb. 22, 1955 M. DE MAR 2,702,556

DENTAL FLOSS AND HOLDER THEREFOR Filed Aug. 31, 1953 INVENTOR ATTORNEY XWKEMM United States Patent DENTAL FLOSS AND HOLDER THEREFOR Michael De Mar, New York, N. Y.

Application August 31, 1953, Serial No. 377,309

1 Claim. (Cl. 132-91) My invention is an improvement in dental floss and holders therefor, to remove foreign particles from between the teeth. it carries a piece of string held taut in the holder between the ends and can easily be drawn between the teeth to remove bits of food or other substances.

Heretofore great difliculty has been encountered in attempts to secure pieces of dental floss to a holder by methods that will satisfy the requirements and conditions of quantity production. Such holders are small and must be produced in great numbers for use and distribution on a commercial scale at low cost. Hence the holder should be plain and simple in construction; but most prior articles of this sort have had special loops or bends for the attachment of the floss, or notches in the ends to receive the floss, which is then tied with knots to keep it in place. Additional expense is thus entailed, and the floss is often retained more or less loosely in the notches and can easily be pulled out.

The chief object of this invention is to provide a novel holder and dental floss of such a character that the floss can be tightly joined to the holder, without necessitating special features of design to engage the floss; and a method of economically producing the desired result.

The nature and advantages of the invention are fully described herein; and a preferred embodiment is described and illustrated in the drawings. The characteristics are defined in the claim. Variations in detail may of course be adapted with deviation from the principle of the device.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of a holder having dental floss therein according to this invention;

Figure 2 is an end view of part of the holder on an enlarged scale;

Figures 3 and 4 are sectional views of the same part showing successive steps in the operation of aflixing the floss in the holder; and

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing a modification of the holder.

The numeral 1 in Figure 1 indicates a short bowshaped metallic rod with transverse end portions 2 between the extremities of which is stretched taut a piece of string of dental floss, 3. This string may be laid in notches 4 on the extremities of the portions 2 and has lumps or enlargements 5 at its ends on the outer sides of the portions 2. The lumps are formed by the action of heat on the floss 3 that is stretched and held straight, between the parts 2. The device is held in the hand so as to force the string between the teeth. It is then drawn lengthwise to pull or push out particles in the spaces between the teeth, and in my invention the floss is retained securely in the holder if nylon thread is used and properly treated.

The holder 1 has no other parts except those mentioned above, and the notches 4 may have parallel sides or contract inward, or be otherwise shaped. To compress the end portions 2 so as to grip the floss 3 in the notches has been found impracticable, because common dental floss is made of a body of cotton fibers or other material and is always coated or impregnated with wax 2, to give it a smooth surface so that it can be inserted readily into place and prevent cutting or scratching of the users gums when it is moved between the teeth. Hence there is not enough friction between the sides of the notches and the floss to prevent displacement by a light pull, even if the floss is knotted and the sides of the notches are squeezed to compress the floss. For my purpose I have found nylon thread suitable because of its inflammable nature.

I have discovered that if a flame or a hot wire is brought into contact with floss made of nylon thread the floss will burn and a lump will form adjacent the flame and harden on cooling. If the nylon is in contact with the holder when cooling, it will stick fast thereto. Therefore if a length of nylon floss is inserted in the notches 4, with ends projecting beyond the portions 2, and ignited by a flame 6, or by incandescent wire having electric current flowing through it, the extremities of the floss 3 will burn and fill the notches 4 completely and develop the lumps 5. The flame at the ends of the floss dies out quickly, and as the heat is radiated and the end portions 2 cool, the lumps 6 harden and adhere to the portions 2, and the floss between the portions 2, tends to become more taut between the end portions 2, and is united by the lumps 5 to the holder so tightly that it cannot be detached by anything short of a vigorous pull. Hence it will never become displaced when the holder is used for its intended purpose.

The searing or scorching of the nylon causes the material to undergo a change by which the nylon bonds itself by its own substance to the holder and is held more securely than by mere frictional contact with or adhesion to the end portions of the holder, or by being tightly gripped in the notches 4.

The nylon string 3 may be covered with wax to make it smoother, if desired. The wax is consumed by the heat of the flame or wire and the adhesion of the nylon to the holder is not impaired.

The dental floss holder of this invention thus has marked advantages, can be manufactured cheaply and quickly, and is well adapted for successful practical use.

Figure 5 shows the recess 4 with edges which converge inward so that when the ends of the nylon string 3 are inserted they are held tightly, and in Figure 4 the sides of the recess are parallel. I

The holder is made and the floss is attached in a machine and the end portions 2 having the recesses 4 are squeezed to grip or clamp the floss 3. Then the floss is seared beyond the portions 2 by a hot steel member highly heated, as by an electric current to burn the floss and produce the lumps or balls 5.

Having described my invention, what I believe to be new is:

The method of securing a piece of dental floss made of nylon in a metal holder having laterally bent end portions with notches in the extremities of said portions, which consists in disposing the piece between said portions, laying the ends of the floss in said notches, then subjecting the ends of said floss on the outer sides of said portions to the action of heat, and forming lumps at the ends of the floss in close engagement with the outer sides of said portions, allowing said lumps to cool in contact with said portions and causing the lump to adhere to said portions and the floss to be kept taut between said portions by said lumps.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,648,341 Moll Aug. 11, 1953 

